Echoes of “we believe survivors” rang up and down the Senate office buildings today, as lawmakers clashed on whether to delay the vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

On Friday morning, Sen. Kamala Harris and other senators including Mazie Hirono and Richard Blumenthal walked out of the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting, refusing to vote. After that, they held an impromptu press conference, encouraging the gathered crowd of hundreds to continue exercising their right to speak up.

“I couldn’t sit there any longer,” Sen. Harris told reporters as survivors approached her thanking her for her “brilliant questioning” of Kavanaugh. “There was no fair process, people weren’t being heard, they were pushing it through without an ability for people to even be able to express their objections. It was a travesty, frankly.”

Speaking with Refinery29 about Kavanaugh’s explosive testimony on Thursday, Sen. Harris answered why she thought he made a reference to the Clintons and the 2016 election, despite being considered for an impartial, nonpartisan position. “From the beginning, it has been my position based on his record that he is a political operative,” she told Refinery29. “He’s showed that. Under pressure, he didn’t have the benefit of having the kind of façade that he had created during this hearing. Under pressure, he revealed himself for who he really is. And that is a political operative.”

Hundreds of protesters lined the hallway of the Hart Senate office building, with several being arrested as they participated in an act of civil disobedience. Some sounded rape whistles, which were taken away by police, as they sat outside of the room where room where the Judiciary Committee was convening. Security ushered out protestors and reporters, threatening them with arrest if they are to stay in the area.

Melissa Shaw, from New York City, told Refinery29 that she had traveled to D.C. for the hearings in order to show her solidarity with Dr. Ford, just as hundreds have.

“After watching the extremely credible testimony from Dr. Ford yesterday and the hysterics of Judge Kavanaugh, I would like to say that I was hoping the committee would call for a full FBI investigation,” she says. ” Roe v. Wade is in terrible danger, and so are other Supreme Court cases that have helped build the fabric of what the United States is.” She had two other words for Republicans who believe Democrats are playing dirty politics with the Kavanaugh nomination: Merrick Garland.

After Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake said he does not want to move forward with a floor vote until the FBI reopens its investigation, the Senate Judiciary Committee has said it will ask the administration to direct the FBI to do a limited, supplemental background investigation limited to “current credible” claims, to be finished within a week. It is still not known how Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins will vote once the vote reaches the full Senate.